Name: Don't Overthink This
ISBN: 9798985067408

Kelly Piazza

Charming, witty, and uplifting, Don't Overthink This is a love story lost in the tangles of addiction, searching for the escape that might finally lead to happily-ever-after.Matty Arvali overthinks everything. If given the choice, Matty would live a normal life. Unfortunately, any chance at having a normal life vanished a long time ago. Which day it was exactly, he can't be quite sure. Maybe his chance at a normal life disappeared the day he started taking oxycodone. Maybe it was when he found Rich the day he killed himself. Or maybe, Matty's normal life was lost the day Keelie, his first and only love, finally kicked him out for good.No matter which day it was, the spiraling thoughts that took over his brain made Matty confident there was no chance things would ever make it back to normal again. That is until his brother steps in to help him turn his life around, the only real chance Matty has had to get things back to normal in a long time. But does Matty want the fresh start his brother is offering, or will it be easier to continue to bury his problems in oxycodone?

A Novel

Don't Overthink This

Louise 

** spoiler alert **
           Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

*My rating is 2.5 stars rounded up to 3*

This book follows our MC Matty in the present day as he's battling an Oxydrone addiction.
In the first half of the book it alternates between present day and at various points in his past, revolving around his ex- girlfriend of almost a decade; Keelie. In the second half, all chapters are set in present day which is revolving around a mutual friends wedding weekend.

I'll start off with the positives for me:
I found the daily trumoil of an addicts mind to be interesting, a "peek behind the curtain" type of interest if you will. 
The book definitely is stronger in the second half and I'm not Normally a reader who enjoys 'spice' but it was needed in this book and I'm glad the writer did include a little bit!

Now to what didn't work for me:
Overall this book feels unrefined, repetitive and slightly disjointed. 
The first half of the book being broken up into present day and flashbacks didn't work for me. Most of the flashbacks I did not care for; I found myself wanting to get back to the present day timeline and skimming or even taking breaks from the book. The flashback chapters didn't feel like they boaded well with the flow of the story and some of them I felt were unnecessary and I found myself not caring. 
Most of the characters don't feel well fleshed out and frankly most of them are unlikable. 
Lex? Honestly, what was her purpose? Someone who flirts with our MC for banter? What?? I hated her.

 The writer also uses A LOT of repeated phrases, which she seems to rely on such as "foreheads touching", "crinkle of her nose", and "grounded/grounding myself". This makes each chapter feel repetitive and difficult to get through. 

Our MC Matty and the love interest Keelie also have a bunch of different nicknames, this teamed with the fact that there is a lot of Italian language in this book makes it feel jumbled and messy. I understand that the writer is Italian and wanted to include her native tounge within her work but having a sentence in Italian then for it to be repeated in English lost its touch as it was completely overdone, this again made the story feel repetitive. 

Overall, I think the premise of this story was interesting but the writing and plot fell flat. If it was a raw, gritty, unapologetic look at addiction or focused heavily on the romance(or even steamy/spice) it could have pulled it off, but it was a little bit of each and not enough of either.

sydney

I knew that this book was about Matteo's drug addiction but it was still way heavier than I expected. I do not think this should be marketed as a romance novel because the bulk of the book is about Matteo dealing with sobriety. I really liked the book though.

I received an arc through netgalley.

june

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Kelly Piazza absolutely nailed this beautifully written novel.  

This tells a story about Matty's current situation in the first part and we see how he challenges his addiction and his attempt to get clean which, will not be simple. There are also flashbacks about his past relationships with his friends and Keelie. The second part takes place when he's invited to his best friend's wedding as long as he agrees to stay sober, but he will experience more difficulty since Keelie was invited as well, giving him a chance to make everything right with her. You also get to see Matty's perspective as he tries to reconnect with his best friends. It's good to see how they still cared about him despite their shattered relationships and how they keep asking how Matty was doing.

Jessie Winchester

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: NA.

Trigger warnings: Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicide, Death of a parent, mention of ED (starvation), suicidal fantasies, suicidal thoughts.

A hard-hitting second chance story that gives an honest look at life, love, and cravings.

‘Don’t Overthink This’ shows its intentions on the first page. It’s heavy, dark, and doesn’t shy away from the truth of addiction. The love bleeds through the cracks and paints a story of hope and second chances.
Piazza handles addiction and struggles in such a good way. I’m always wary of going into stories that handle such important topics; they’re very easy to get wrong. Piazza gets it right.

Matty is a complex character; he’s likeable, but we find it difficult to sympathise with a lot of his decisions. The first person storytelling helps his characterisation because we can see Mattys’ thought process and motivation.

I didn’t find myself rooting for Matty and Keelie. I liked them both, and I wanted them to be happy, but I didn’t necessarily care if they were together. That’s not great for a love story. In all areas relating to relationships, it seemed lacklustre.

It’s a brutal but beautiful story. I wouldn’t call it a romance. It’s a story of struggle and personal growth with a hint of romance mixed in. I read this book in e-format, but It’s one I would consider buying a physical copy of to put on my shelf.

Shining glory: The portrayal of addiction is highly realistic. It shows the internal arguments and thought processes of every decision and how it’s not just as simple as “you want to stop, so stop.”

Fatal flaw: It’s a heavy-handed romance that’s marketing misleads readers, focusing much more on Matt’s internal conflicts and struggles than the moment and intimacy of his relationship. (This may not be an issue for you, but romance audiences will want to be aware)

Read this if: You like complex characters whose characterisation focuses on internal conflicts. You like an un-traditional second-chance romance.

Skip this if: You have any issues with heavy topics or mention of drug abuse. You don’t like books that use flashbacks regularly. You prefer characters that have clear, black and white motivations.


Don't Overthink This A Novel

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